your cd player caused 9/11!

Last week, talking to my friend Scott Burns, co-creator of the "Got Milk?" campaign, I was delighted to hear that he already had two ad scripts ready to go. The first one feels like an old Slim Fast commercial. Instead of "I lost 50 pounds in two weeks" the ad cuts to different people in their SUVs: "I gassed 40,000 Kurds," "I helped hijack an airplane," "I helped blow up a nightclub," and then in unison: "We did it all by driving to work in our SUVs."

The second, which opens on a man at a gas station, features a cute kid's voice-over throughout: "This is George." Then we see a close-up of a gas pump. "This is the gas George buys for his car." Next we see a guy in a suit. "This is the oil company executive who makes money on the gas George buys." Close-up on al-Qaida training film footage: "This is the terrorist organization supported by money from the country where the oil company does business." It's followed by footage of 9/11: "We all know what this is." And it closes on a wide shot of bumper-to-bumper traffic: "The biggest weapon of mass destruction is parked in your driveway." Pretty effective

Oh, bite me. Listen, I didn't like the drugs=terrorism commercials, either. But this is stretching it just a bit.

According to a list I saw over at AKA Cooties this week, the following items need crude oil or an oil product to be manufactured (partial list):

Comments

YOU GO GIRL!!!

I'm gonna keep driving my SUV as well, guilt-free ... I mean hell, I'm not gonna feel bad over it, I've given my hubby up for a year long deployment because of all this terrorist crap, I deserve to drive my SUV! ;o)

normally i take your militant ideas with a grain of salt and move on with my day, as my views are often radically different from yours. but i have to stand up with a resounding HELL YEAH on this one. we're so wrapped around and dependent upon middle east oil, in ways most people don't understand--it would take an about-face change of life for ALL of us to "stop terrorism" though boycotting oil.

(not to mention, this "stop terrorism" oil boycott is idealistic and impractical. it's not the one magic token that will save the world. Ma and Pa Kettle aren't killing Kurdi's by gassing up the Chevy for a Sunday drive. if you want to blame someone, put the blame where it lies: our own corrupt government.)

you don't think it's logical that they expect you to trade in your suv for a bicycle until the middle east is our friend again? the kids can ride in the basket. until natalie disowns you, i mean. or it snows.

I'll play the Devil's advocate here and say that while petroleum is used for many products, two thirds is used for fuel. All those other things come from the remaining third, and the percentage used as fuel is steadily increasing.

Also, the amount of known oil reserves is expected to be exhausted within the next30-50 years (again, depending on who you ask), at the current rate of use. The US will actually run out of domestic oil supplies in 7 years, unless new reserves are located or production is reduced.

Of course, we won't actually be using oil and then suddenly stop because the wells run dry. Production of oil will drop and the price will rise until it is too expensive to use oil for much of anything. Most experts expect the time when demand outpaces production to be in this decade. Even the conservative Heritage Foundation admits that oil supplies will be well below demand by 2020.

In fact, in their 2002 Candidates Briefing Book they suggest that the main reason for controlling Iraq is to ensure oil supplies for the US military remain available when there is not enough to meet consumer needs. The report states that 80% of US government oil consumption is by the military, and 75% of that is jet fuel. The report even condems the use of SUV's by consumers, as wasteful of energy and less safe than using a larger, more fuel efficient car.

So, while it may be a stretch to lay the blame for terrorists on SUV owners, it is logical to admit that the primary reason for war with Iraq (which started the terrorist attacks against the US), is partially based on inefficient fuel use.

Our children will not likely have a choice of driving large SUV's, because the fuel cost will be too high (unless a good alternative is developed) and our children will also be the ones to die fighting to keep US control of the dwindling oil supply.

Should you feel guilty for driving an SUV. I don't think so. Will you be driving one for much longer. No.

I've heard all the clammer of those commercials and seen some of the clips, all the way over seas and I tell ya...it's sad. Meanwhile, I saw you go ahead and start rackin up them "runover" points...just remember, you get a double score if you can knock 'em into a open sewer hole. Gotta love them 'hole in one's'

as much as i enjoy driving myself hundreds of miles a week in my Honda CR-V ( mini-suv, or "sport cute", which i guess makes it a weapon of limited destruction), i would give it all up to ride on public transportation.

oh wait, no trains or buses or car pools go where i go. offer an alternative to passenger car dependency and then check for american use of petroleum consumed as fuel.

I think it should be noted that SUV's include little 4 wheelers like the Honda CR-V and big monsters like Escalades. The baby SUV's aren't the issue.

As to alternatives to gasoline-powered passenger cars, There are electric and hybrid vehicles on the market now that would work for many people, including the Toyota Rav-4 which I've driven around on state business. There are even a number of energy rebates, free charging stations and tax breaks that make driving an alternative fuel vehicle a great deal. I plan on buying one for my next car.

The reality is, though, that gas won't be reasonably priced forever, and most people won't be able to afford it after a while. And the commercials are meant to show that there are more issues involved in oil supplies than just gas prices. People have and will continue to die to control oil reserves, so it makes sense to recognize the real value of our energy resources. IMO.

I love ya Michelle, I have been blurking in your site for a while and I thought it might be time to speak up, but maybe not, I don't want to get hit by your SUV. You have kids and might possibly live in an area where 4 wheel drive is necessary in the winter, I don't know. IMHO, it is not you that is the problem. Where I work, the parking lot is full of large gas guzzling cars and suv's. I would wager that 95% of them are driven with a single passenger commuting to and from work. We do not live in an area where 4 wheel drive is necessary at any time of the year. That is a huge waste of gas. Also, it makes it very hard to find my little vw in that lot full of monsters. :-)

Regardless of all that stuff about the U.S. using its fuel inefficiently, we import less than 10% of our entire oil supply from the Middle East, according to the Department of Energy. And that's the entire Middle East, not just Iraq, but also includes our "friends" like Saudi Arabia and the other OPEC members. While I do realize that 10% is a pretty big chunk and that a war with Iraq will have its consequences on our gas prices, I fail to see the reason behind the abject hysterics regarding its impact on our fuel supply, unless other countries -- like Russia, from whom we get almost half our oil -- have threatened to cut us off should we go through with this.

I don't buy into this "SUV as a weapon of mass distruction" thing either. I do see the need for conservation (and if I have my way, I will be buying a hybrid car). Oil is used in so many areas of manufacture (just about anything plastic).

What we need to focus on is the consersvation and reuse of resources. This reduces demand for things like oil, and helps. It won't solve the problem but it will mitigate it.